Co-founder, engineer, and technology leader

Mike Kelner is the co-founder of Oktona and a software engineering leader with 20+ years of experience building products, leading teams, and delivering technology solutions across startups, media companies, and enterprise environments.

His background spans software development, cloud infrastructure, product design, digital media, and business strategy — bringing both technical depth and practical business understanding to every project.

Mike Kelner
Mike Kelner
Co-founder of Oktona

Beyond the Code

  • Drone Pilot

    Mike is a licensed FAA drone pilot, combining technology and media to provide aerial photography, video production, and commercial drone services.

  • Photographer

    Mike’s photography has been downloaded more than 650,000 times on free media platforms, with images used worldwide in articles and creative projects.

  • Traveler

    Mike has traveled across all 48 contiguous U.S. states, gaining firsthand appreciation for the diversity of American businesses, landscapes, and communities.

  • Storyteller

    Mike has experience in journalism, content creation, and digital storytelling through media and video production.

  • Chess Player

    A lifelong chess enthusiast, Mike once competed against future world championship challenger Ian Nepomniachtchi as part of a school team match (Mike lost, his team won).

Expertise Through Experience

Back in 2000s, Mike began his career as a freelance web designer and developer while studying Information Security at Bryansk State Technical University.

In 2010, he co-founded Wide-Media, a digital company focused on web development, online media, and internal internet products. That experience built a foundation in software engineering, journalism, internet marketing, and entrepreneurship.

After relocating internationally twice — first to Israel in 2013 and later to the United States in 2017 — Mike continued advancing his career in technology leadership roles.

He worked at companies such as Investing.com and Phone.com, eventually serving as Director of Software Engineering at Phone.com before leaving in 2022 to build Oktona and focus on new products and client solutions.

Open Source

Mike is the creator of Orange Dragonfly, an open-source TypeScript framework built around simplicity, extensibility, and long-term maintainability.

Built on principles like “extend, don't configure," minimal dependencies, and transport-agnostic architecture, Orange Dragonfly embodies Mike's engineering philosophy: build systems that are clean, predictable, and practical.

Orange Dragonfly is part of a broader philosophy at Oktona: build useful things, and share them.